


Unravel Me

by MelanatedRavenclaw



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anko is the Best Friend Ever, Fluff, Getting Together, Homophobic Language, KakaIru Exchange 2020, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tattooed Umino Iruka, sakumo is alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29295474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelanatedRavenclaw/pseuds/MelanatedRavenclaw
Summary: Iruka rolled his eyes, “It’s not my fault I had more important things to focus on.”“Hmm, I guess I’ll try harder in the future then," Kakashi responded with a wink.“Try harder to do what?”“To keep your attention, of course.”(Or, the one where Iruka is forced to train someone at his job and gets way more than he bargained for.)
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60
Collections: A Very Special KakaIru Exchange!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mytsukkishine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mytsukkishine/gifts).



> Enjoy! :) 
> 
> Fun fact: so much of this story was based on my personal experiences, so that was fun to share haha!
> 
> Big shoutout to Angela (water_bby) for being my beta for this fic!! You are so wonderful, thank you!

“Hey, who is that?” 

Iruka turned his head in the direction Anko was pointing in. He scanned the hallway, seeing nothing but familiar faces. It took him a while to notice who she was referring to but when he did he couldn’t stop staring. The man had to have been a new recruit, Iruka knew everyone in the hub space.

The first thing he noticed was the man was tall. Iruka wasn’t on the short side himself so this man had to be at least 6’2” or 6’3”. The second was that he had a diagonal scar going through the left side of his face. Wild, silver hair framed his face. He was wearing black jeans and a deep blue v-neck sweater. Iruka could just make out a silver chain around his neck. His white high tops were pristine. Iruka couldn’t help but notice as he could never keep a pair of white shoes clean to save his life. 

Only one word came to mind, attractive. 

He turned back to Anko to find her staring at him, the hint of a smirk on her face. 

“He’s something, huh?” 

Iruka shrugged as he put his long brown hair up into a bun. He had let it grow out more than usual and it was now just below his shoulder blades. He definitely needed to have Anko cut it soon. 

“Sure, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

Anko laughed, throwing back her purple hair, “What sort of thing is that exactly?”

“You know, the whole trying too hard hipster artist look. I bet he writes poetry at coffee shops and is a self-proclaimed plant parent.”

“Wow, and what is wrong with that, Iruka? Honestly, it sounds perfect for you. And you can’t judge someone’s coffee consumption. You’re on, what, your third cup?”

“I’m just saying, I’m not interested.”

“Hmm, that was a lot of effort to just say you’re not interested.” Anko looked back over at him and winked, “Especially considering I never asked if you were interested. I just wanted to know if you thought he was cute. Don’t worry, Ruka, I haven’t forgotten you don’t date. No matter how much I disagree with the sentiment.”

Iruka sighed and followed his laughing friend to the meeting room. Today they were meeting the new recruits. He hated these days, they were typically filled with small talk and icebreakers. It wasn’t that he didn’t like meeting new people, he just couldn’t stand the forced interactions and inorganic relationships they often created. 

He remembered his first day vividly; he had to introduce himself and their day consisted of team-building activities. The person he ended up talking to the most that day was actually not the person he actually ended up getting close to. In his opinion, these days were pointless in terms of morale building. Not to mention, his first day of training included none of the actual work he would be doing. 

This non-profit placed recent college graduates as student mentors in local schools. The mentors usually worked with students that needed more attention due to their personal experiences, behavior problems, or even their academic struggles. He found this program because he wanted to find a gap year job before he went to graduate school. It’s been three years since then and he’s not sure what his future will look like, but this is a good job with good people so he’s not in any rush to leave it. Graduate school isn’t going anywhere after all. 

He took a seat down at the table, Anko at his left. Twirling the small hoop earring in his ear, he looked around the room as they waited for Tsunade to enter. There were three new people, including the man he saw outside, the other two were dark-haired men standing awkwardly around. It wasn’t long before Kurenai went over to them. She was, quite possibly, the kindest person here. 

The silver-haired man was staring at his phone but was interrupted by Gai going up to him. 

Correction, Gai was the kindest person here. He wished he could hear whatever wacky thing Gai was saying to the man at this point. 

Suddenly, Gai wrapped his arm around the man’s neck. Iruka raised his eyebrows in surprise, the man seemed annoyed but didn’t push him away. 

“Ruka?”

Iruka turned to Anko to find her smirking at him as she played with her snake necklace, “What?”

“You’re staring.”

“Am not,” Iruka averted his eyes, refusing to look at her, “It was just odd that Gai hugged him.”

“Pretty sure Gai hugged you when you two first met.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He looked over and saw Anko’s smirk grow. 

“Just shut up.”

“I’m not saying anything,” Anko raised her hands in surrender, silent for a minute. “I wonder what his name is.”

“How is that girl you’ve been seeing?” Iruka asked, desperate to change the subject. 

Anko, he was sure, knew what he was doing but took pity on him. “Aria is wonderful. I think I’m going to marry her.”

“Really?”

“No, probably not. But, I am having fun. You should have some.”

“I don’t have time. I need to -”

Anko cut him off, “I need to focus on my students.”

Iruka just glared at her, “Why are we even friends? You are so annoying.”

“Nah, you love me.” 

“I’m seriously re-thinking that.”

“That should be your next tattoo, I heart Anko. Maybe, on your chest? What do you think?”

“I think hell would need to freeze over before I ever let you pick one of my tattoos.” 

“You have half a sleeve, you could literally sneak it in and no one would notice.”

“I would notice, and honestly that’s enough.”

Iruka laughed when Anko rolled her eyes and grumbled, “I think you should just move out at this point.”

Before he could respond, Tsunade walked into the conference room causing all conversation to still. Her assistant, Shizune, was trailing behind her furiously typing on her phone. 

“Good morning, everyone. I apologize for being late. We have a lot to do today and not a lot of time. I’m going to let the new people introduce themselves, then I’m partnering them up with some of you so they can shadow you for the week. I know this isn’t how we usually do our training, but we’re in a rush to get everyone into schools. We’ll have new people coming in batches the next few weeks, and this seemed fair. Any questions?”

She continued after a few seconds of silence, “Great. Now, let’s get started. I have plans I can’t miss.” 

As she started her welcome speech, Iruka almost jumped as he felt Anko’s breath in his ear. 

“You know her plans involve going down to the bar across the street and meeting with Jiraiya.”

Iruka bit his lip to hide his smile, he loved Tsunade but there was no denying she was a functioning alcoholic. 

“…Working in these schools is hard work, but it is necessary work. Some days will be tough, sometimes you’ll feel like you want to give up. Take a look at the people around you, when you feel like giving up these are the people you can rely on. Take care of one another. ”

“Shizune and I are also here if you need us. Education is a thankless job, but remember that your work matters. You matter, so please remember to take care of yourselves.”

“Alright, let’s start with introductions. Hagane Kotetsu, you’re up first. Just tell us where you’re from, what you’re excited for about this year, and a fun fact.”

Iruka zoned out as one of the men with dark, spiky hair stood up to introduce himself. He was hoping he wasn’t going to get paired up with any of them to shadow him. He had a routine and didn’t want to deal with showing someone around. Plus, the more time he spent with them the less time he could focus on his students. He felt like he was close to a breakthrough with Sasuke. The last thing he needed was a distraction to push it back. 

He felt Anko nudge him. He looked up in time to see her nod to the front of the room. The silver-haired man was about to speak. Iruka wanted to be annoyed at Anko, but he wasn’t. He did want to know something about the man. Knowledge never hurt anyone.

“... I guess I’m excited to help kids like me, and I have eight dogs.”

Iruka fought back a smile, he had missed the first part, but his introduction was quick and straight to the point. 

“I have to admit, I’m a little hurt. I wasn’t in your fun fact,” Gai huffed and crossed his arms.

The man, Kakashi, rolled his eyes but said nothing. 

“Well, if you won’t tell anyone then I will. My fun fact is that I get to work with my best friend and esteemed rival now!”

“Oh, so you two know each other?” Anko asked, while subtly kicking Iruka under the table. He refused to acknowledge her. 

“Ah, yes! We have been friends since we were children. In fact, he saved my life. It was a warm summer day…”

Tsunade interrupted him, “Yes, Gai, thank you. We’re sure it’s a great story, but maybe we wait and tell it later?” 

Before he could respond, she continued on, “Now, I have the pairings set up. Obviously, there are more returners so some of you will not have someone shadowing you, but don’t worry we will have more people joining us soon. We’ve matched you up by strengths and prior relevant experience. For example, Kamizumi Izumo, you’ll be paired with Genma. He works in an alternative school setting, and your background in behavioral therapy would be a good fit for this school. Now, Kotetsu, you’ll be with Kurenai, and Kakashi, you’ll be with Iruka. Okay, everyone not having a shadow can leave and head to work. You three, I want to go over rules and expectations.”

Iruka sighed as he stood up to walk over to the man. This was just his luck that he’d have to babysit someone. Although, he couldn’t deny the flop in his stomach as he looked at the man before him. Was he cute? Sure, but Iruka didn’t have time to think about that right now. Besides, he still wasn’t ready to date and honestly, he wasn’t sure when he would be. 

Kakashi looked down at him as he approached. 

“Sup?” 

“Hey, I’m Iruka.”

Kakashi nodded, “I figured.” 

Iruka nodded, unsure how to respond to that statement.

Thankfully, Tsunade starts to speak again. 

“Okay, you all were chosen because you’re some of the best mentors. You all have made good connections at the school and so I think the new people can really benefit from working with you all. Just show them the ropes of your school and then we’ll eventually either keep them at your school or move them to another one.” 

She turned to the new people, “Read over your welcome packets and let me know if you have any questions. You’re in good hands.”

Before she could say more her phone started ringing, her voice echoing as she left the room without another glance back. 

The silence was broken when Kurenai started laughing, her long black hair falling down her back, “Tsunade can be a lot, but she’s a great boss and really does care about all of us. Even if she isn’t always the best at showing it.”

Genma nodded, “Yeah, this is a good organization. We’re all like family here. We do family dinners every Thursday night and meet up periodically just to keep each other sane. But, don’t worry you’ll do fine. Besides,” he smirked at Iruka, “no one could have a worse first day than Iruka.”

Iruka could feel the warmth coating his cheeks as he closed his eyes in anguish. Of course. Of course, Genma would bring up this story. 

He could practically feel everyone's eyes on him. Opening his eyes they instantly met warm brown ones. Kakashi’s facial expression was blank, but his eyes gave away his intrigue. 

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Iruka scratched the back of his neck. 

“Oh, c’mon don’t do that! Iruka ended up getting someone fired.” He heard their collective gasps as Genma continued. “Not that the man didn’t deserve it.”

“Dude, now you have to tell the story! How did you get someone fired?” Kotetsu begged.

Iruka sighed, though the story may have been funny to tell now, it was hard for him as it was happening. He’d had to repeat the story to so many people on the school admin team and the district lawyers.

“There isn’t much to tell, it was my first day of school and I was outside the main office waiting to meet with the principal. My boyfriend worked there and he came in to check on me. He gave me a kiss on my cheek to wish me luck and then he left. One of the teachers saw us and he told us we needed to get out of here with that gay shit and that it would be a bad influence on the kids.” 

Iruka paused, trying to get himself together. It had been two years ago, but it was still the first time he had been the victim of homophobic rhetoric. 

“Oh my god. I hope he was fired!” 

“Yeah, what a homophobic piece of shit.”

“What happened after that?” Kakashi asked him, softly, as if he knew just how hard this moment had been for Iruka. 

Iruka looked up at the sound of the voice, making eye contact with the silver-haired man again. Keeping his eyes locked on his, he continued. 

“I ignored him and I went to the principal’s office for my meeting. I honestly didn’t know if I should ignore it or tell someone. I had no power, and this man had been there for years for all I knew. But, this lady, she was dropping off her son and she actually marched into the principal’s office behind me and ended up telling him everything that happened. The principal apologized and said he would handle it. Next thing I knew the man was cleaning out his classroom.” 

Iruka smirked at the memory. “By the end of the day I had calmed down enough, and I may have played a prank on the man. But that’s a story for another day.”

Kurenai squeezed his arm, “You know, Iruka, I’ve heard this story before but I don’t think you’ve mentioned the prank before now!”

Standing up with a grin on his face he replied, “I can’t give away all my secrets, now can I?” 

Looking toward Kakashi, eyebrow raised, he asked, “You ready?”

The man nodded and made an after you gesture with his hand. They said their goodbyes to the rest of the group before heading to the parking lot. 

Kakashi didn’t say much on the walk over. Iruka may not have wanted someone to shadow him, but he also didn’t know how to not talk to someone. Plus, this man seemed interesting. He was curious about him, nothing more. Definitely not what Anko was implying.

“The school actually isn’t far from the base for us, which is nice. Some schools are up to eight-hour drives so when we have meetings they have long journeys. Are you from around here?” 

He looked over to the silver-headed man biting his lip as if holding back a smile, “I’m pretty sure I told everyone where I was from. Did you not listen to my introduction?”

Iruka could feel his cheeks warming at being called out, “I did! You said something about liking dogs?”

At this, the man couldn’t stop the smile from breaking out upon his face. “I did mention I have eight dogs. I’m feeling a little hurt, you didn’t pay attention to my introduction.”

Iruka rolled his eyes, “It’s not my fault I had more important things to focus on.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll try harder in the future then.”

“Try harder to do what?”

“To keep your attention, of course.”

Iruka swallowed, the man’s gaze felt heavy all of a sudden. “Why do you want to keep my attention?”

Kakashi smiled, and what a beautiful smile it was, “C’mon Iruka, I can’t give away all my secrets now, can I?” Echoing Iruka’s words from earlier. 

They were approaching Iruka’s car and he broke eye contact with the man, hopefully in time so the man didn’t see the pink he was sure was dusting his cheeks. Not sure how to respond to that, although, he knew how he wanted to respond. He did what he did best, he distracted himself. 

“Wait, did you drive here or take the metro?”

“I drove, but I don’t mind riding with you and then we can come back and get my car.” His tone was casual, but his eyes were intense as they followed Iruka’s movements like a cat.

Iruka nodded as they got in the car. He unlocked the car door so they could get in. Immediately, he started to get that familiar anxious feeling in his stomach that occurred when someone new was in his car and he didn’t know what music to play. 

Anko usually just put on her designated car playlist. Iruka’s music was…diverse to say the least. It could go from indie to show tunes. Scrolling through his phone, he quickly settled on his coffee shop music playlist. Satisfied when the soft music started to play, he started up the car. 

He could still feel Kakashi’s eyes on him and he started wracking his brain for something to talk about. 

“So, how did you hear about this organization?” He figured that was a safe question, and he was curious. This non-profit wasn’t as popular as some of the other similar ones in the field. 

“I actually went to a school that had a program like this and it was really beneficial to me.”

“Really? That’s actually really cool.”

“Mhm, my mentor was great. He came into my life during a hard time and really helped me through it.”

Kakashi was quiet, and Iruka noticed he was no longer staring at him, but instead appeared to be looking through him as he got lost in the memory. 

“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to.”

He knew what it was like to have some stories that were just a little harder to say out loud. Kakashi’s eyes snapped back at him, a slight look of surprise on his face as if he didn’t expect to see Iruka. 

“No, I don’t mind. My mom had just passed away and my dad…he didn’t take it well. It was a hard time for a while, and my mentor was there for me when my dad couldn’t be.”

“Hmm. Are you and your father close?”

“We are, actually. It was a rough patch, but we moved past it and now we actually do dinner every Sunday night.”

Iruka smiled, “That’s really nice. And, what about the mentor?”

Kakashi sobered, “He passed away two years ago, but we had been out of contact for maybe three years."

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m also sorry about your mom.”

“Maa, it was a long time ago. What about you? Any family?”

“Nah, my parents died when I was young. I was in the foster system until I was 18, it's actually how I met Anko. We turned 18, found a place, and put ourselves through school.”

“That’s the girl you were sitting beside during the meeting? She seems cool.”

“Yeah, she is. She’s the best.” Iruka was grateful Anko was in his life, he didn’t know what he would without her. They’d been taking care of one another for as long as he could remember. 

“Do you have any questions about the job?”

“I figure they’ll all be answered as I shadow you, but what does your day-to-day look like?”

“Usually, I check in at the front office and then go to my office. It’s more of a classroom with tables and computers. I've tried to make it comfortable for the students. I have a caseload of 10 students that I mentor and see every week, at least. Usually, it’s more than that. I see other students, but that’s only when counselors specifically ask me to see them.”

“Makes sense.”

“I think for today, I’ll show you around and introduce you to everyone and then you can meet some of my students. Today was going to be a light day for me, but I’m sure Naruto and Sasuke will come and visit.”

“Are they regulars?”

“Naruto has been with me since I first started, but Sasuke is…new. He recently had a tough break and has been struggling ever since.” Iruka chuckled. “I’m glad he has Naruto though, Sasuke likes to close himself off and Naruto doesn’t let him. I think they’re good for one another. Before Sasuke, Naruto didn’t have many friends. Hence why he was always in my office.”

“It sounds like you do a good job with them.”

Iruka glanced at Kakashi and bit his lip. “Yeah, maybe. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing all the wrong things and I just hope I’m not fucking these kids up.”

“Maa, we’re all fucked up, no stopping that. At least you’re trying. I remember with my mentor, he probably fucked up and said the wrong thing a lot. But, that’s not what I remember. I remember that he tried. He was there and that meant more than you’d think.”

Iruka nodded. They didn’t say anything for a while, just listening to the music. It wasn’t long before he was turning into the school parking lot. 

“We can use my key to get in, but we’ll have to go to the main office to sign you in first and get you a visitor’s pass.”

“Sounds good.”

Opening the school door with his key, they entered the building. Iruka loved this school. This program attracted people that were interested in education or psychology. Anko wanted to be a school psychologist but he knew teaching was his passion. Eventually, he would go and get his master’s degree so he could actually teach.

The hallway was littered with children’s artwork and anti-bullying posters. Middle schoolers were such an interesting group; they were at the age where they were just starting to get more freedom but were still so sheltered. The age of puberty, and where their friends become their enemies and their enemies become their friends in the span of an hour. Their interests changed daily as they experienced new things. It’s the time when they’re trying to figure out who they are but they don’t know how to start. 

Iruka adored it. 

Anko mentored high schoolers and she much preferred it to middle schoolers. They were more relatable and had “real problems” as she put it. Iruka didn’t like to think of some problems being more real than others. Problems were relative to the person. Yes, in retrospect, someone not sitting with you at lunch may seem minor. But, to that person, having someone to sit with at lunch could be everything. He didn’t like to play the problem Olympics with students. A problem was a problem. Keeping that in mind is what helped him give every student the attention they needed.

They made it to the office and easily were able to get Kakashi a visitor pass for the week. He took the man to his office/classroom space. Turning on the light, he let Kakashi walk into the room first. 

Kakashi looked around the room first before commenting, “So this is where the magic happens, huh?”

Iruka stumbled. He whipped his head around to face Kakashi, “Excuse me?”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, “You know, where you meet with students?”

“Oh, right. Yeah.” He needed to get a hold of himself. Of course, the man meant that. Obviously, he didn’t mean anything else. They were in a school for goodness sake. 

Kakashi was walking around the room observing the posters Iruka had on the wall. He had brought a couch in there and placed it next to the bookshelf hoping it could be a calming place for the students. There were beanbags and board games over there, too. The rest of the room had four circular tables, with some chairs. The walls were covered with random posters, but he made sure to have some of his favorite quotes and posters with diverse and inclusive images. 

He wanted the room to feel safe. Instead of using the harsh fluorescent light from the ceiling, he had string lights all around the room. With the lights and the eucalyptus scent coming from the oil diffuser, he hoped the space was a place students could feel grounded. 

“I love this,” Kakashi was standing near the bookshelf, face etched in wonder. 

Iruka noticed his scar went up to his hairline, he was curious to know the story of how the man got that scar. It seemed such an odd place for a scar. If it wasn’t for the many years he had lived through people asking about his scar, he was sure his curiosity would have gotten the best of him. Instead, he averted his eyes at the compliment allowing a small smile to grace his face. 

“Thanks. I just didn’t want it to seem like it was a scary place to come to.”

“I bet the kids skip class to come in here all the time.”

Iruka laughed, “Naruto does that often, but Naruto would probably skip class even if I was in a shed.”

“You seem to really like him,” Kakashi commented. 

“Naruto? He’s also had a hard time. He can come on a little strong, but it’s how he’s learned to survive. He tries to appease everyone and be the best in hopes of avoiding rejection. Growing up in the system…well, let’s just say I get it. I try to look out for him as much as I can.” 

“Hmm.” Kakashi nodded.

“Right, well speaking of Naruto. I’m sure he’ll be in here soon. He doesn’t really —”

He was interrupted by the sound of his door being slammed open. “Iruka! Where were you this morning? You didn’t tell me you’d be gone!”

The sight that greeted him was a blonde boy, wearing his standard bright orange sweatshirt and black pants. Instead of his usual grin, however, there was an accusatory look on his face. Behind him was Sasuke, wearing a bored expression.

“Stop yelling, he can hear you, you know” Sasuke sighed. 

Naruto either didn’t seem to hear Sasuke or he ignored him and kept his eyes trained on Iruka. 

“Good morning, Naruto. It’s nice to see you, too. Isn’t it fun how manners work? Could you please shut the door and lower your voice?”

He had the decency to look slightly ashamed, “Sorry,” he said as he kicked at the floor. 

“I just didn’t know where you were and no one would tell me! I wasn’t sure if something happened…” he mumbled the last part. 

Iruka couldn’t hold on to his anger even if he wanted to. 

“It’s okay, Naruto. I was late because I had a meeting. Since you two are here though, I want you to meet someone. Naruto, Sasuke, this is Kakashi. He’ll be shadowing me for a while.”

Instantly, Naruto’s smile returned as he skipped over to Kakashi. Iruka laughed, he was a ball of sunshine and he could see how taken aback Kakashi was from experiencing the light that is Naruto. 

Iruka turned to see Sasuke looking at him. 

“Next time you should text him or something, the idiot was scared.”

Iruka held back his smile. 

“You’re right. I’ll do that next time, I’ll be sure to text both of you.” 

“Hn. I don’t need a text. I didn’t care.”

Iruka didn’t say anything as he watched Sasuke go over to Naruto to meet Kakashi. He knew people assumed Sasuke didn’t care about anything since his parents’ death. Everyone said he shut down and hasn’t opened up yet, and though he is different now, Iruka wouldn’t say he doesn’t care about things. Sasuke may show it in different ways, but he knows he cares about his brother and Naruto. Even if the only way he shows it is through minuscule gestures that go unnoticed by most. 

Naruto came back over to him, a slight frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Kakashi is weird. He’s not as cool as you.”

Iruka scolded the boy, but there was little heat in his voice, “You should be nice to him, Naruto.”

“I am nice! I’m always nice! Besides, all I said was you’re cooler. If anything, you should be happy at my compliment.”

Rolling his eyes, Iruka started to turn on his computer at his desk. He noticed Sasuke was now sitting on a desk talking to Kakashi. 

“How is your math homework coming along?”

“It’s fine,” Naruto said quickly. Too quickly. 

“Naruto,” Iruka turned his scrutinizing gaze upon the blonde.

“I mean, it’s confusing, but it makes more sense after you helped me. I just don’t see how learning about division without a calculator is necessary. I’ll always have a cell phone and if I don’t have a cell phone, then I’ll just do the math later when I do. I doubt I’ll be in a life or death situation that requires division.”

Iruka had to bite his lip. This was one of the things he loved about kids. Their endless questions that, more often than not, made sense. He said it often; kids are simple, it’s adults that make life hard. 

“Though that may be true, division is an important skill to learn so that you can do other types of math in the future.” 

“No, thanks. I’d rather do something else.”

“Naruto, is there any subject you enjoy?”

“Of course! I enjoy gym class.”

Iruka propped his head in his hands, “Any other subject?”

“I mean I guess music is cool, but I don’t know how to play an instrument. But, I want to learn.”

“Hm, what instrument would you want to learn?”

“The drums,” Naruto said enthusiastically, practically buzzing in his seat.

“Why does that not surprise me?”

“Didn’t you say you used to play the drums?”

“Yep, but that was forever ago.”

“We should play together! We can even start a band. Oh! You know what would be fun? We could perform all over the world. One day I was watching tv and I saw this interview about a band and they started in high school…”

Iruka smiled fondly as Naruto continued on about his plans to start a band, gesticulating all the while. Conversations with Naruto were often all over the place. He glanced over at Sasuke and saw he was still deep in conversation with Kakashi. There was an intense look on Sasuke’s face, but Kakashi appeared as calm as ever. Iruka couldn’t remember ever having a conversation with Sasuke that lasted this long. 

Focusing his attention back on Naruto, he tried to convince Naruto to learn a quieter instrument to no avail. Soon the bell rang, and the two boys begrudgingly picked up their backpacks. 

“We’ll be back for lunch! Don’t worry! Bye!” Naruto all but screamed as he ran out of the room, grabbing Sasuke’s arm. 

Iruka glanced over to see Kakashi walking toward him, the man sat down in the chair Naruto had just vacated. 

“How are you holding up?”

Kakashi beamed at him, showing straight, white teeth. 

He had to remember to breathe. 

This man really was beautiful. 

But many people were beautiful. He was done falling for a gorgeous smile that had nothing to offer him but heartbreak and misery. 

“So far, so good. I like Sasuke, he’s a good kid.”

“He is, but I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think he’s talked to anyone for as long as he spoke to you today.”

“Hm, really?”

“Yeah, I mean what did you talk about?”

“I mentioned that I did kenjutsu and he was really interested in learning more. I told him about a studio he could go to if he was serious. I also told him I could show him some basic moves.”

“As cool as that sounds, you can’t really give a child a weapon.”

“Maa, minor details.”

Iruka snapped his head up, “No, minor details include bringing a student cupcakes, it’s a whole other matter entirely to give a child a weapon.”

He could feel himself getting flustered. Iruka was all for breaking the rules sometimes, but there were some he couldn’t imagine breaking.

“Don’t worry, Iruka. I’ll make sure he’s safe. Maybe we can even practice during his gym time.”

“Kakashi, no.”

There was a tense silence, well tense for Iruka before Kakashi just burst into laughter. 

“Oh gosh, you should see your face. Did you really think I would give a student a weapon on school grounds?”

“You seemed pretty serious,” Iruka said, glancing down at his calendar as he tried to regain his composure. 

“Well, I was in the beginning, but then I realized it probably isn’t smart to give a child a weapon. But, by then I thought you were going to pop a blood vessel or something and I wanted to see how far I could push you.”

“You’re a little shit, aren’t you?”

“That I am, Iruka, that I am.” Kakashi seemed unfazed by the comment. If anything, he seemed pleased. 

Iruka closed his eyes and let out a breath, this man was going to be the death of him one way or another. Of that, he was now certain. 

“C’mon let me give you a tour of the school.”

The two of them stood up and Iruka took him around the school. He tried to show him all of the important places like the auditorium, and gym, but also the places he’d probably never go into like the supply closets. 

In the end, he showed him everything. After their tour, he went over with him how he planned out his day, which students to call, and eventually started introducing him to the school counselors as they became available. The counselors wanted to have him start with his own caseload soon. This wasn’t a surprise to Iruka, many of the counselors are overworked due to the unbalanced student to counselor ratio. They would take any help they could get, plus their mentoring program had proven to be beneficial.

The rest of their day was pretty uneventful, Iruka managed to let Kakashi see a glimpse into his day. He explained to him that emergencies happened all the time and though he may have a plan for how his day would go, one thing could knock that out as quickly as the plan was formed. 

Finally, it was 3:30pm and they could head home. In the car, Kakashi had leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a sigh. 

“Long day?” Iruka smiled.

Kakashi nodded, eyes still closed.”It’s been a while since I’ve had that much social interaction.”

“What did you do before you decided to do this?”

Kakashi smirked and opened an eye to look at him, “I worked at my dad’s kenjutsu studio giving private lessons to middle schoolers.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope, serious as a heart attack.”

“Wow.”

Kakashi just chuckled.

“So you gave him the information to your dad’s studio?”

“Yep, I think it’ll be good for him. He’s a good kid, but he has a lot of demons right now, and sometimes fighting can help you feel more in control.”

“Hmm. Speaking from experience?”

“I am actually. It didn’t solve everything, it took years for that to happen, but it made things more bearable at times. Plus, it's kind of hard to think about your emotional pain when you’re bone-tired and can barely walk. I hope he goes to the studio.”

“If you really think it’ll help, I can let Itachi know. He’s desperate to find some help for his brother.”

“Hmm, I heard something about him today.”

Iruka stayed silent, waiting for him to start speaking again. He’s not surprised Kakashi has already heard about this after only a day.

“Did...did he have something to do with their parents’ death?”

“Yes. It was a fire that did it. In the middle of the night, Itachi was up late working on a science project and something went wrong.” He sighed, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. “He could only save Sasuke. Neither of them has been able to fully process that and I’m not sure if Sasuke forgives him for both starting the fire and only saving him.”

Kakashi nodded, “I think he made the right choice. I mean it’s an awful situation to be in, but all things considered, it makes sense to save your younger brother.”

“I agree, but it’s harder for Sasuke to see that. He really looked up to his brother and I think this incident made him realize Itachi is human, just like anyone else,” Iruka shook his head. His heart broke for Sasuke.

“Hmm. And, Naruto lost his parents, too, you said?”

“Yeah, two years ago.”

They pulled into the parking lot where Kakashi’s car was waiting. “Actually, do you remember the story of my first day? Two years ago?”

When Kakashi nodded, he continued. “The woman that followed me into the principal’s office and demanded something be done. Well, that was Naruto’s mom. She was a firecracker. I had only met her a few times, she would come to check on me whenever she dropped Naruto off but I loved her spirit. I see it in Naruto.”

“Is that why you’re so close to him?”

“In the beginning, after he lost them, it was why I first reached out, but Naruto kind of took my heart early on and I haven’t looked back.”

“You’re something, Iruka.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have such a good spirit, and it’s easy to see by how all these hurt people gravitate toward you. Like a moth to a flame.”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing, I’m just kind of in the right place at the right time. If it wasn’t me, it would be someone else.”

Kakashi shook his head, “I don’t think so. I think you’re selling yourself short. You’re special, Iruka and I’m glad I get to work with you.”

Kakashi didn’t say anything else after that he just got out of the car and, with a quick nod goodbye to Iruka, got into his own car and drove away.

Before he even left the parking lot, Iruka dialed Anko.

“We have a problem,” he leaned back into his seat. Driving home all but forgotten for the moment.

“Is everything okay?” Anko’s voice was laced with concern, and he knew his next statement would flip her concern to amusement in seconds. 

“IthinkIlikeKakashithenewguy,” rushing the words out, he hoped that maybe that would downplay the message.

“Iruka, I don’t know what the hell you just said.”

Covering his face in shame at his own admission even though she wasn’t around.“I said, I think I like Kakashi, you know the new recruit?”

There was silence and then he could hear nothing but her cackling through the phone.

“Oh, Ruka. We all saw this coming. He was so your type. I’m just surprised you realized this after only a day.”

“I don’t even have a type.”

“Yeah you do, babes, and tall, silver hair, with the looks of god and the heart of an angel is definitely your type.”

“We don’t know if he has the heart of an angel,” Iruka grumbled, not denying anything else.

“I’m pretty sure anyone that works at an education-based non-profit has the heart of an angel. Because we sure as hell don’t have brains or else we’d take our degrees and go to the private sector.”

“Hey! It’s not all bad.”

“The work is fulfilling as fuck, but the pay is shit.”

“Fair.”

“Anyway, don’t change the subject. I saw this coming a mile away. Are you calling me because you’re going over to his place? Are you going to sleep with him?”

“What?! No, it’s not like that at all. I don’t even know him. I just…he intrigues me. I don’t know, you know how it is for me.”

Her voice softened some, “Yeah, I do. You have feelings for someone maybe once every three years. And it’s been a while since…well, he who shall not be named.”

“I don’t even know him,” Iruka repeated.

“Well, hun, that’s kind of why people date. But, look you don’t have to ask him out if you’re not ready. Honestly, sometimes just having a crush is enough. It’s actually a lot of fun. It gives you something to look forward to.”

He nodded, even though she couldn’t see. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. Now, could you pick up some broth on your way home and stop moping in your car? Jeez, at the start of this conversation I thought something had happened.”

“Anko?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

“Yeah, I know. Love you, too.”

They hung up and Iruka headed to the store. He could just have a crush, there was no harm in that. It had been a while since he’d had a crush and he was under no obligation to do anything about it. Besides, he still wasn’t sure he could date someone.


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka’s week with Kakashi went by fairly quickly. Before he knew it, the man was getting ready to be assigned somewhere permanently. Sasuke had definitely taken a liking to him and often came during his free periods to simply sit next to the man as he did his schoolwork. Shikamaru, another student, had also bonded with Kakashi. 

Iruka could easily see Kakashi forming his place in this school. It would be up to him where he went through and neither of them had brought it up. 

“Earth to Iruka?”

He looked up from his computer to find himself staring into Kakashi’s eyes. His lips turned up in a small smile. Kakashi was wearing a black shirt today with black pants, and a white jacket. His hair was pulled back into a beanie making his scar all the more prominent. In short, he looked flawless per usual.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was saying, I think we should go out to dinner tonight. To celebrate my finishing training.”

“Oh! Yeah, that sounds great. Do you want to call everyone?”

He shook his head, “I’m not up for anything too big. You and I can go to that ramen place you and Naruto are always going on about.”

Iruka furrowed his eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well then it’s a date.” Realizing what he just said, he tried to backtrack, “I mean…not a date date, more like the date. You know like the day and year?” 

Iruka groaned into his hand, “Please just ignore me.”

Kakashi laughed, “That was quite possibly the cutest thing ever. You’re adorable when you’re flustered.”

With that the man turned and left, leaving Iruka a blushing mess. It seemed Kakashi had been doing that more and more, finding random ways to compliment Iruka. The other day when Iruka had changed into his gym clothes, the man had made a comment about finding tattoos so attractive while staring straight at Iruka’s half sleeve. 

Iruka was never sure how to respond to these comments. He didn’t know if Kakashi was a tease or if he was just messing with him, or if it wasn’t even a big deal and Iruka was subconsciously making it one. In the end, he decided to ignore it. 

It seemed to work well for him thus far. 

It didn’t take long for 3:30pm to arrive. The two of them packed up for the day. It was weird watching as Kakashi picked up all the things he had brought to make the space his. 

He still wanted to know where Kakashi was planning to go after this week. 

“Do you want to drive separately?” Kakashi asked him as they walked to the school parking lot. 

“Yeah, that works for me.” Plus, he needed to calm himself down some. He knew this wasn’t a real date, but part of him kind of hoped it was. Anko seemed to think Kakashi was interested in him, but Anko was like a mom in that regard, she thought everyone should be interested in him. 

In his car, he followed Kakashi to the restaurant. It wasn’t a far drive from the school. Perks of a mid-size town. 

They were given a booth near the back. If it had been a date, he’d definitely have loved this spot. It offered them a lot of privacy.

“So, how was your week? Did I scare you off?”

“Quite the opposite, really. I love this job, I’m excited to start. Your school is really nice, too, I like the work environment and the staff seems friendly.”

Iruka could feel his heart start to speed up at the comment. He didn’t dare hope. 

“Yeah, it’s a great place. I think everyone really loved you, too. Especially the students.”

“Eh, Naruto never really warmed up to me.”

“He did, in his own way. I think the biggest surprise is Sasuke though. He’s like your little shadow.”

“Did I tell you his brother called to get him set up with lessons?”

“Really? That’s awesome. I think it’ll be really beneficial for him.” 

The server came to their table and they ordered their first round of drinks and food. As soon as he left, Iruka opened his mouth to ask something else about work, but found himself stopped by Kakashi’s index finger on his lips shushing him. 

The man's touch was light, he was actually barely touching him. But Iruka's lips burned where Kakashi's finger was pressing.

He swallowed and noticed Kakashi follow the movement with his eyes. 

“Let’s make a deal. No work talk tonight or else?”

“Or else?”

“Or else you have to do a dare.”

“Okay, that’s fair. Why no talk about work though?”

“Uh uh, that counts,” Kakashi grinned, eyes squinting in amusement.

“What?! It does not! We hadn’t started yet.”

“Not true, we started as soon as you said ‘that’s fair.’”

Iruka shook his head, “No, it doesn’t start until we both say go or something.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Your face makes no sense!” Iruka hissed, leaning across the table getting into Kakashi’s space.

“Did you really just say that?” Kakashi laughed, “You sound like Naruto when he’s mad at Sasuke for something.”

“Ha! You just talked about work!” Iruka knew he was getting loud the more they continued on, but he couldn’t help it. The man was always able to bring out this childish side in him. 

They were so caught up in their own world they didn’t realize the server had returned with their drinks. 

They profusely apologized after realizing they had been standing there for a while. 

“It’s okay,” the server assured them, “you two make such a cute couple. I understand how you can get lost in one another. Your food should be out soon.”

Iruka could feel the warmth starting to spread on his cheeks, and to his surprise when he looked up at Kakashi, he saw the dusting of pink on the tips of his ears. 

“Okay,” Iruka started to twirl his straw, “no work, so what do you want to talk about?”

“Tell me a fun fact about you.”

“I hate fun facts.”

“Hmm, though that is a fact, it is not fun. Try again.”

Iruka leaned back in the booth, “You’re serious? Ugh, that’s hard. How about you go first?”

“Fun facts aren’t hard. You’re overthinking it, it doesn’t need to be something huge. For example, I am blind in my left eye,” he said pointing to the scar gracing his skin. 

This surprised Iruka, he never seemed to notice Kakashi straining to see as he imagined would be necessary. Although, he had actually never met anyone with partial blindness and so he would not be surprised if he had some misconceptions. 

“What happened? Not that you have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind telling you. It’s not as dramatic of a story as people tend to expect. But, I’m not telling you anything until you give me your fun fact.”

This piqued his interest, he was really curious but didn’t want to pressure the man. He had assumed it was the result of something tragic. “Fine, okay. I like to knit, I guess.”

Iruka watched as Kakashi’s facial expression went from surprise to amusement. He laughed and then coughed to cover it up. Iruka could feel the blush creeping upon his face as he watched the man in front of him laughing at his discomfort.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh. I think that’s actually really cool.”

“Sure, you do.” Iruka pulled his beer closer to him. Glad to have something to focus on.

“No, really I do. I think it’s great. You must be good with your hands.”

The statement caught him off guard. Iruka started to cough, choking on his drink. He didn’t need a mirror to tell him that he was as red as the sweater he was wearing. 

For the second time tonight, he saw pink taint Kakashi’s ears. The man seemed to comprehend what he had just said.

“Oh, god. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…it’s a thing you do with your hands. You know?”

Now it was Iruka’s turn to laugh as Kakashi stumbled over an apology. 

“It’s okay, Kakashi.” He took a sip of his drink. “Besides, you’re not wrong.”

If he thought the pink on Kakashi’s ears a second ago was cute, the blush he was sporting now was just downright adorable. 

This was fun. Talking with Kakashi always brought him joy, especially when they reached this line of almost flirting. They would always tip-toe the line, never fully crossing it. He wanted to, but he had no idea where Kakashi’s head was with this. Not to mention, he still wasn’t sure if he was ready to jump back into dating yet. 

When their conversations inevitably turned to flirting, someone, usually always Iruka, would change the subject. But, for the first time, he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay in the world where it was just him and Kakashi and this ramen booth. In the booth, he didn’t have to worry about heartbreak or any of the problems of the world. He could almost imagine a world where he opened himself up and let Kakashi into the tangled mess that was his heart. 

He wanted to cross that line, but he couldn’t. Instead, he did what he usually did. 

He diverted.

“So, about your scar?”

It may have been his imagination, but Kakashi almost looked disappointed at the change in conversation. 

“Yeah, it happened when I was 10. I was practicing with a friend and lost focus. I took a katana to the eye, I passed out from the pain. Next thing I knew I was waking up in the hospital with the left side of my face wrapped up and the nurse saying I had lost the vision in my left eye.”

“That sounds awful.”

“It wasn’t fun, but it could have been much worse. My dad completely freaked out, I didn’t think he was going to let me train anymore. He was always yelling at me to not get distracted.”

“Do you still practice kenjutsu?”

“Oh, all the time. I can show you sometime if you’d like.”

Iruka gave him a small smile, “That’d be great.”

The server brought out their ramen and Iruka busied himself with eating. The two of them made light conversation as they finished their food. 

As they waited for the server to bring their check, Iruka decided to bite the bullet and ask the question that had been eating at him since he realized today was Kakashi’s last day of work.

“Have you decided which school you want to work at now?”

Kakashi flashed a smile. “I have. I’ve been meaning to bring that up to you.”

“And?”

“I’m actually thinking of staying at this school. But, I wanted to check with you first. I don’t want to intrude or anything. There are other - ”

Iruka held up a hand, stopping the man before he could continue. His heartbeat picked up at hearing the news, he hoped he didn’t look as eager as he felt. “I think you should stay. I mean you’ve already started to make connections and I swear you’ve made more progress with Sasuke in a week than I have in a year.” 

Amusement danced on Kakashi’s face, “What was it you said about Naruto and him being a good kid? It’s the same with Sasuke. He just has so much pain and anger, and he doesn’t know what to do with it. I would like to keep working with him.”

“If you wanted this school, why did you clean out your space?” Iruka was curious as Kakashi had taken all of his belongings outside of the room. 

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, “Ah, well I mean it is your space. The principal also told me if I did decide to stay, they’d give me another space.”

“Hmm. When do you need to let Tsunade know of your choice?”

“Tonight, I was going to email her as soon as I spoke to you. You’re sure you’re okay working with me?”

Iruka smiled, “There is nothing I’m more sure of. It would be a pleasure to work with you.” 

The look on Kakashi’s face was nothing short of magnificent. It had to be illegal to be this gorgeous. The man could probably murder someone and they would spend their last breath thanking him for the opportunity to have that smile on them. Averting his eyes, he started to play with his car keys. 

When he glanced up he saw that Kakashi was typing on his phone. Probably emailing Tsunade to let her know he would be staying at Iruka’s school. Iruka wasn’t lying, he couldn’t wait to work with Kakashi. He felt like they’d be a good team. 

When Kakashi finished typing he looked up at Iruka. “Ready to go?”

“Yep,” Iruka nodded. 

The two of them started to head to their respective cars. Iruka turned to say goodbye to Kakashi but before he could open his mouth the taller man stepped into his personal space. They were so close, he could smell the faint peppermint scent of the man’s shampoo. 

“Iruka?” His voice was soft, almost as if he had a secret. His warm cocoa hued eyes were glued to Iruka’s. 

Iruka couldn’t look away if he wanted to. He didn’t feel like he was in control of his body anymore. Rather he was a mere puppet for Kakashi’s use. 

He licked his lips, “Yes?”

“May I ask you a personal question?”

Iruka nodded, not trusting his voice.

Kakashi’s facial expression was one Iruka had never seen before. It was insecure and almost shy but, nevertheless, it was intense. Kakashi always had this intensity in his eyes, and he seemed to look at Iruka as if he were trying to solve a mystery and Iruka was the final clue he hadn’t figured out yet.

“Do you remember the story you told me on my first day? About the man getting fired?”

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Iruka nodded. 

“Well,” Kakashi continued, “you mentioned that you had a boyfriend and that was the catalyst of everything ” He hesitated, “Is…are you still together?”

Iruka knew the shock he felt was evident on his face. Was this why Kakashi appeared shy? He didn’t want to ask if Iruka was seeing someone? Did this mean what he thought it meant or, once again, was his heart getting ahead of his brain?

Iruka could feel his heartbeat increase at the question, and his palms began to sweat. It was too much, he wanted to hope but he also knew hoping would do no good if he wasn’t ready. He knew now he wouldn’t be satisfied with just having a crush on Kakashi, but he also wasn’t prepared for if the man returned his feelings.

Kakashi started to look concerned, and he knew he needed to say something. 

“Uhm, no. We actually broke up later that year.”

“Oh,” Kakashi’s voice was solemn.

Iruka tried to take a subtle deep breath while Kakashi processed his response. Kakashi had started to back up some and Iruka felt like he could breathe again. They were still close, but at least now he wasn’t completely in his space. 

“Are you seeing someone now?” Kakashi posed the question casually as if he wasn’t too interested in the response, but his eyes didn’t lose their intensity. 

“No,” Iruka wanted to stop there, and he knew he should have but he couldn’t stop the word vomit, “I actually don’t date.”

“Excuse me?” Kakashi asked, confusion covering his features.

“I don’t really date,” Iruka repeated, still unable to stop the word vomit.

“As in you never date?”

“As in I just don’t want to waste my time on something that may not last.”

Kakashi stared at him with an indecipherable expression on his face for a moment before speaking again. Iruka wanted to hit himself for getting himself in this situation. 

“Honestly, just forget I said that.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Well, now I’m curious. I want to know why this beautiful man, that I know for a fact has so much love to give, decides to stay alone?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He looked at the ground before looking back at the restaurant, anything to avoid looking at the man in front of him. 

“It does to me,” Kakashi whispered softly, “but I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want. I’m just…I don’t know. You’re right, you don’t have to tell me.”

He wasn’t sure if it was the softness in Kakashi’s voice, the slight buzz from the drinks, or the fact that he couldn’t think of a thing he would deny this man, but he opened his mouth and couldn’t seem to stop the flow of words. 

“I grew up in the system, I told you that right? Well, I was in and out of homes for a while, and growing up like that you start to see a lot of things. One thing that stuck with me is that you have no authority over people. People have their own agendas, and they change their minds as quickly and as often as the wind blows. I don’t want to have someone love me one day and then change their mind the next. I just don’t want to be in that type of situation.” 

Iruka closed his eyes, he did not mean to share that much. He could feel himself shutting down now as if his mind was trying to protect him from exposing himself anymore. Gripping his keys tighter, he turned so he could go in the car and leave and not see the other mentor’s facial expression. 

Then he felt a hand grab his wrist, and before he could look up he was being pulled to the man’s chest in a hug. Frozen, he just stood there but Kakashi didn’t release him and so he tentatively wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. 

Kakashi just squeezed him tighter. 

Iruka couldn’t remember the last time he was hugged like this. He and Anko usually just did quick side hugs. It felt nice. He could feel some of the tension leaving his shoulder as he held onto the man, hiding his face from the world. 

Kakashi tilted his head down. The man’s breath in his ear caused a shiver to go through his entire body. 

“Iruka, I can’t even imagine what you went through growing up in the system. You’re right, we can’t control people and they can throw us away as they choose. Call me naive, but I’d like to think love is worth the risk.”

“Easier said than done.” His voice muffled from being pressed to Kakashi’s chest.

“Hmm. I guess most things are easier said than done. That doesn’t change the fact that when you close yourself off to protect yourself from the hurt, you also close yourself off from the good.”

“I know. But, it’s my choice to make. I’ve seen the good, and it’s not worth the hurt to me.”

Kakashi hesitated, before loosening his group so they were face to face. “Was it real love or just infatuation and lust? There is a difference. They may seem like they’re the same, but they’re not.”

Iruka wanted to say yes, it had been love. Yet, he knew the truth. He would listen to Kurenai talk about Asuma and even the way Shizune would talk about Tsunade, even though her feelings were unreciprocated, and know that he had never felt anything like what they were describing. 

No, maybe he hadn’t been in love. It didn’t change his mind though. People could hurt you even if they didn’t mean to. Yet, he couldn’t stop the feeling in his chest. It was creeping upon him. He had felt it in the booth, and he felt it again now as he looked at the man in his arms. 

This feeling of hope. 

It made him want to try, in a way he hadn’t felt before. 

He barked out a small chuckle, trying to alleviate some of the tension he was feeling. “How did we even get here? Why does it matter to you if I’m dating or not?”

“Because I want to ask you on a date and if you reject me I want it to be because of your lack of interest in me and not because of your fear of letting someone close to you.”

Iruka was glad he was no longer pressed against Kakashi because there was no way he would be able to hide his erratic heartbeat from the man after hearing him say that. 

“Is this you asking?”

Kakashi looked slightly embarrassed, but he didn’t back down. “It is. This past week with you has been so much fun. You’re hilarious and caring, and I really want to get to know you more.”

Iruka wanted to say yes, he really wanted to say yes. But, he also needed to think. 

“Kakashi…I’m sorry, but I think I need some time to think about it.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Iruka. I won’t pressure you, just let me know when you have a response.”

Iruka nodded, “I will, I promise.”

Kakashi gave him a small smile as he squeezed his hand before taking his leave. 

Iruka watched the car speed off before he slid into his own. Taking a deep breath, he started his car to head home so he could go for a run. He needed to think.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks passed by quickly. Kakashi had started working at the school and was soon settled into his new space. The two of them hadn’t talked more about what had occurred that night in the parking lot. Iruka knew he probably should say something, but he was content putting it off for the foreseeable future.

At this point, he wasn’t even sure that Kakashi would still want him. He was pretty sure when someone said they’d wait for you they didn’t mean weeks. 

Kakashi hadn’t treated him any differently. If anything, it was as if the events had never occurred. They still had lunch with Sasuke and Naruto most days and still joked around, too. It was almost normal. 

Except it wasn’t. 

Every now and then he would feel Kakashi’s gaze lingering on him when the man thought he wasn’t paying attention. Or sometimes when they were sitting near one another, their legs would accidentally touch and neither would make an attempt to move. It was these subtle occurrences that ensured Iruka didn’t forget he still owed him an answer. 

On Friday, as he was packing up, there was a knock at his door. Turning, he saw Kakashi standing in his doorway, a book in his hand.

The sight of the man in his black jeans and blue denim jacket with a hoodie caused his breath to hitch as always. He wondered if he’d ever get used to seeing him. 

“You have any weekend plans?” Kakashi questioned with a slight tilt to his head.

Iruka could feel the slight increase in his heartbeat. Was Kakashi ready for an answer now? Did he even have one to give him? He knew what he wanted. Sure, he was scared but, as he looked at the man staring at him with a hopeful expression on his face, he realized he didn’t want to say no. 

He wanted this. 

He wanted to try. 

“I don’t have any plans this weekend, why, what’s up?”

“Eh, well, do you remember how I told you my dad and I do Sunday dinners? Well, I wanted to invite you over. If you want. I know how you had mentioned you hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in a while, and we always make more than we need. No pressure, though! I mean, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to come.”

Iruka laughed at the man’s clear nervousness. “I would love to go. Should I bring something?”

“No, just yourself! I’ll text you the address, and we usually eat around 6.”  
“Okay, I’ll be there.”

Kakashi beamed at him, “Great, I’ll see you then. Have a good weekend.”

It wasn’t until he left that the implications of meeting Kakashi’s father really sank in. This was all so backward, he was meeting Kakashi’s dad before he had even confessed.

Picking up his phone, he sent Anko a text. He needed a drink and knew she would absolutely get a kick out of this situation.

****

Sunday came around sooner than he expected. His room was a mess as he tried to figure out what to wear. He kept going back and forth between casual and formal. He had texted Kakashi and the man assured him there was no need to dress formally. Despite his message, he was still in a clothing limbo. He wanted to make a good impression on Kakashi’s dad. Since he was planning to give Kakashi an answer today, he also wanted to look good for Kakashi.

With Anko’s help, he was able to finally settle on something. He decided on tan boots and an all-black ensemble. Anko told him to wear the leather jacket since it made him look “hot as fuck”. Not really sure that was what he was going for to meet Kakashi’s dad, but he did love the jacket. After he put his hair in a half-up half-down style, he declared himself ready to go.

He knew better than to go to someone’s home empty-handed so he picked up a bottle of wine on the way over. The address Kakashi had sent him was in one of the nicer areas of town. It wasn’t until he pulled into the private drive that he realized just how nice of an area he was in. Most of the homes were secluded so he wasn’t able to get a good look at them. 

Kakashi’s home was massive. What did he say his dad did again? There was no way he could afford this place just from owning a studio. This place screamed money. Not that Kakashi ever mentioned being rich, although it didn’t surprise him. He was too humble and kind to bring something up like that. 

Iruka parked his car in the circular drive. He saw Kakashi’s car so he had to be at the right home. 

Getting out of his car, he started to feel a little out of place. He grabbed the bottle of wine and went to knock on the door. 

There was no response. 

After an awkward minute, he started to question if he should have texted Kakashi instead. 

It wasn’t long until he heard barking and the door opened to reveal Kakashi in all his glory. The man was gorgeous, he was wearing jeans and a hoodie that said, “Let’s Raise the Woof’ with a photo of a dancing dog. 

His smile was radiant and Iruka couldn’t help but smile back. 

“You made it. How was your drive?” Kakashi questioned as he opened up the door to let Iruka in.

“It was fine.” Iruka could hear the faint sound of barking deeper in the house, “Are those your dogs I hear?”

Kakashi nodded, closing the door behind Iruka. “Yep, my dad loves them so I try to bring them over when I can. They’ll be all over you soon enough. I probably should have asked before, but do you like dogs?”

“I love them,” Iruka assured the man. 

His answering smile was brilliant, “Good.”

Iruka heard a voice yelling from inside the house, “Kakashi, are you trying to keep your young man from me?”

He watched as Kakashi rolled his eyes, but there was definitely a slight tinge of pink on his ears.

“He can be a handful. I’m just going to apologize in advance. Are you ready to go?”

Iruka nodded, still hung up on Kakashi’s dad referring to him as Kakashi's young man. 

“Oh, and by the way, you look amazing.” Kakashi looked him up and down with a smirk, eliciting a shiver down Iruka’s spine.

“Thanks, you don’t think it’s over the top?” He was slightly more dressed up than Kakashi in his sweatshirt, after all. 

“Nah, you’re perfect.”

Iruka didn’t need a mirror to tell him he was blushing. He could feel the heat traveling from his face to his neck. 

“You are, too,” Iruka stammered out.

The two of them started walking further into the house and suddenly Iruka was surrounded by furry friends. Kakashi seemed to have multiple breeds in all different sizes and colors. Iruka immediately sank to his knees, all sense of nervousness leaving his body as he joined the dogpile. He was surrounded by dog kisses and happy yelps. 

It wasn’t until he heard someone laugh that he seemed to remember where he was. Looking up he saw the two silver-haired men grinning down at him. 

His brown eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the two men.

Kakashi’s father looked just as Iruka expected. He was tall, like his son, and had the same silver-colored hair. Except, his hair was longer, and was tied back in a ponytail. The man was fit, which came as no surprise considering what he did for a living. 

Similar to his son, his eyes were intense but warm. He looked at Iruka with mirth as he took in the sight of him on the floor. Kakashi was staring at him with a fond expression on his face, he could feel some of the nerves return as he looked into Kakashi’s eyes. 

Awkwardly standing up, he turned to face Kakashi’s father. 

“Hi, I’m sorry about that. My name is Umino Iruka, thank you for inviting me to your home.”

Kakashi’s father’s laughter rang out throughout the home. He had a nice laugh, it was hearty. 

“You don’t have to apologize for having fun. You can call me Sakumo. It’s nice to officially meet you, though. Kakashi, here, talks about you nonstop.”

Iruka raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

Kakashi’s cheeks were suddenly a soft pink as he scratched the back of his head, “I mean…you know, because we work together so you come up sometimes…”

Now it was Iruka’s turn to laugh, “Yeah, I guess Anko would say the same thing about me.”

Sakumo looked back and forth between the two of them, his grin never leaving his face. 

“Well, dinner is almost ready if you two want to take the dogs out for a little while.”

“Do you need any help in the kitchen?” Iruka turned to the older man.

“No, I just need to set the table. Thank you for offering though. I love a kid with manners.”

“Dad, Iruka is not a kid. He’s 24.”

“Eh, he’s still a kid to me. You’re almost 30 and I still think you’re a kid. Now, go get all the leashes for your 20 dogs.”

Iruka laughed as Kakashi folded his arms and walked out of the room mumbling about how he only had 8 dogs. 

“He’s something, isn’t he?”

Iruka turned back to Sakumo to find the man staring at him with a knowing smirk. 

He could feel the warmth on his face, as he made eye contact with the man.

“Yes, he is. Everyone at the school loves him, the students and staff all think he’s great.”

“Hmm, I’m sure they do. But I’d wager he only cares about what one particular staff member thinks of him.”

Iruka knew he was full on blushing at this point. He racked his brain for something to say, but Sakumo started to speak again before he could. 

“He’s a good kid and I’m sure he’s dated before, but he’s never brought someone around before. It’s why I was interested in meeting you, Kakashi is very private, yet he somehow has managed to mention you during every single one of our family dinners. When I told him to bring you around, I didn’t think he would actually do it. I’m happy he’s found someone though.”

“I won’t hurt him,” Iruka promised.

If it were possible, Sakumo’s smile grew. 

“I didn’t think you would. This isn’t a shovel talk, don’t worry. I never really understood why parents would give those to people their children bring home anyway. I just wanted you to know that I’m happy for the two of you. I see the change in Kakashi; he’s smiling more and happiness looks good on him. It looks good on you, too. I’ve only been around you two for ten minutes and I can already see how enamored with one another you are. 

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer. I just wanted to let you know I am excited to get to know you, Iruka.”

“I’m excited to get to know you as well, sir.”

Sakumo laughed, “Honestly, kid, just call me Sakumo.”

“Okay, Sakumo,” he bit his lip, hesitating before pressing on, “I want you to know that it’s the same for me. Kakashi makes me happy, too, and he’s helped me a lot with…-stuff.”

He closed his eyes, that sounded really dumb, but he also wasn’t trying to open that can of worms with Kakashi’s dad before he even told it to Kakashi. The man seemed to understand though because he nodded. 

Thankfully, Kakashi returned to the kitchen. “Okay, all of the dogs have been leashed, I’ll take four and you can take four.”

Iruka nodded and reached out a hand to grab the leashes from him. “Do you really walk all of them together?”

“Of course, besides they’re very well-behaved dogs.”

Iruka chuckled, “If you say so.”

The two of them headed outside and started walking the land, content to let the dogs lead the way. 

“So,” Iruka began, “Your family is loaded?”

Kakashi snorted, “I wouldn’t say loaded, but we come from old money. Clearly, my dad and I didn’t join the family business.”

“Hmm, what is the family business?”

“Eh, something with law? I don’t know, my dad was kind of a rebel and, though he went to law school to appease my grandfather, he did nothing with his law degree, clearly. He was always really open with me pursuing anything I wanted. Sometimes, I wish he had given me more direction, then maybe I wouldn’t be 30 years old just deciding what I want to do.”

“Hey, things like that take time. Some people know pretty early while others need to figure it out.”

“Did you always know you wanted to be in education?”

“Kind of? I knew I liked working with kids, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to do that. I didn’t really think about it until college.”

“So, what did you and my dad talk about? I hope he wasn’t too much.”

“No,” Iruka shook his head, “Your dad is great. I really like him.”

“He can be, but he can also be pretty meddlesome.”

“It was nice talking to him. You’re really lucky to have him in your life. I can tell he really cares about you.”

Kakashi nodded, “I know, I am really lucky.”

All of the dogs had gone to the bathroom at this point, all but one.

“Pakkun can be…difficult at times.” Kakashi sighed as they waited for the small pug to do something. 

“Difficult?” 

“Honestly, he can be a little shit.”

“Hmm, he’s your favorite isn’t he?” Iruka smirked.

“Absolutely not!” Kakashi looked scandalized, “Iruka, how could you even assume I could pick a favorite child? I love all my children equally.”

He hesitated before speaking again, “Though, I will say this. Pakkun was my firstborn, so take that as you will.” 

Iruka laughed at Kakashi’s slight look of guilt from the statement. The man was adorable. 

As he stared at the man that was now squatting in order to give all of his dogs love, he had the sudden realization that he wanted nothing more than to tell the man how he felt right now.

He was planning on waiting until after dinner, or even waiting until they were back at school. Yet, as he looked at the man he knew he didn’t want to keep these feelings bottled up anymore. 

“Kakashi?” 

He waited for the man to look back up at him. 

“Yes?”

“Does that offer still stand?”

Kakashi raised his eyebrow in confusion before his expression shifted into one of cautious hopefulness. The silver-haired man jumped up and started to walk toward Iruka. He didn’t stop until he was right in front of Iruka. His closeness reminded him of the night in the parking lot.

“The offer absolutely still stands. It’ll stand until you give me an answer.”

Iruka grinned, ”I have an answer.”

“And? Don’t hold me in suspense over here.” 

His words didn’t seem to match the look on his face. It was as if he knew what Iruka was going to say. And maybe he did. Maybe, Kakashi knew all along how this whole thing would play out and he was just patiently waiting for Iruka to figure it out, too. 

“Yes, I’d love to go out with you.”

Kakashi’s smile was blinding. 

“Usually, I would wait until after the first date to ask for this, but I’m going to make an exception.” 

Iruka looked up at the man, with a puzzled expression. 

“Can I kiss you?”

“Absolutely.” Iruka breathed with no hesitation. 

Iruka held his breath as Kakashi’s hand grabbed his neck, gently pulling him closer. He tilted his face up, their lips meeting.

His body was charged with electricity. Everywhere his body met Kakashi’s was on fire. It was scary and exhilarating all at once. They broke for air, but quickly returned to one another. Iruka wasn’t sure how long they would’ve stayed out there if it wasn’t for Kakashi’s phone ringing. 

Iruka laughed as Kakashi groaned and pulled out the phone.

“Yes?” He tried to go for annoyance, but he was still breathless from their prior activities. 

He couldn’t hear who was on the other line, but Kakashi’s eye rolls and exasperated sighs gave him somewhat of a hint. 

After the man hung up, he looked down at Iruka. 

“That was my dad,” Kakashi confirmed, “He told us that if we didn’t get back soon dinner would be cold and he would eat without us.”

Iruka leaned in to give Kakashi a quick peck on the lips and laughed as Kakashi immediately snaked his arm around his waist keeping him close. “We should go back. I don’t want cold food. Or, for your dad to have to wait for us.”

“Or,” Kakashi propositioned, “we can skip this meal and go out somewhere for our first date?”

“No! Absolutely not, I’m making a good impression on your dad and you’re not going to ruin it for me.”

“I’m sure you could’ve shown up naked and you’d still have made a good impression on him.”

Iruka’s face was on fire at the comment.

“Maa…Iruka, you’re blushing,” Kakashi smirked. 

“You know what? I take it back. I don’t think we need to date.”

“Nope, no take backsies.”

“No take backsies? Are you in middle school?”

“I’m pretty sure I heard Naruto say it to Sasuke the other day and he went with it. If Sasuke can roll with it then it’s definitely valid.”

“Why is Sasuke the determinant of what is allowed and what isn’t?”

“Are you kidding me? Sasuke is the definition of the cool, mysterious kid that makes all the rules. He’s very popular and could own the school if he wanted.”

“How did we even get here?” Iruka asked the man, shaking his head in amusement. 

“I don’t know, but as long as it means I still get to take you out, I don’t care.”

Iruka laughed, Kakashi could be such a sap. 

And, yet, when Kakashi extended his hand to him, he took it. 

And when Kakashi pulled him for another quick kiss, he responded. 

He still wasn’t sure that everything would be okay, and he knew he’d have moments of doubt and hesitation in the future. 

Yet, with every kiss, and every touch, he could slowly feel himself unraveling. There weren’t many things he was sure of in the world, but taking Kakashi’s hand and following him, with the dogs surrounding them, seemed like one of the few things he could put his faith in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed :) 
> 
> Kudos and comments always appreciated.


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